Microsoft is purportedly changing tack with the next Xbox, which may be a hybrid console/PC
The next Xbox will reportedly run Windows with an Xbox interface on top, which you can exit if you want to play games from external stores like Steam.
While Sony may be focusing on hardware improvements in its next generation PlayStation, Microsoft appears to be re-thinking its fundamental approach to the console market. That’s according to a Windows Central report, which states that the next Xbox may, in fact, be running Windows.
In short, the report, which quotes unnamed sources, states that the next-gen Xbox will work similar to the handheld PCs now, in that it’ll run a “TV-optimised, console-style experience” on top of Windows.
Supporting this is a quote from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who, in a Windows Central interview, gave the ROG Xbox Ally as an example of where Xbox is headed.
In addition, current president of Xbox Sarah Bond suggested, in an interview with Mashable, that the next Xbox will be a “very premium, very high-end, curated experience,” which will continue the direction that Microsoft has set with the Xbox Ally, that being the ability to play games from any store or platform anywhere.
In our review of the ROG Xbox Ally X, we noted that it’s the cleanest execution of a Windows-based portable console yet, even if it doesn’t get rid of all of Windows’s quirks. And while the next Xbox may not necessarily be a handheld, a hybrid console/PC device would certainly make sense as a follow-up to the Xbox Ally. Microsoft could even work with a hardware partner here, like it did with the Xbox Ally handhelds.
The Windows Central report suggests that, similar to the Xbox Full Screen Experience on the Ally, the next-gen Xbox will offer a familiar console interface for Xbox games, with the choice to exit out to Windows for playing non-Xbox titles.
The ROG Xbox Ally X masks Windows with Xbox Full Screen Experience, and Microsoft might be bringing a similar concept to its next first party console.
If true, it’s interesting to think of how the market will treat exclusives afterwards. Exclusive titles have typically been the drivers behind excitement for a new console, but while Nintendo remains protective of its exclusive IPs, Microsoft and Sony have been increasingly amenable to porting theirs over to PC; for the latter, Spider-Man 2 is a recent title that comes to mind, while Microsoft has been releasing first party titles on PC for some time now.
Should the new Xbox have the ability to play PlayStation games via Steam, Sony may have to decide whether it’s worth it to maintain a semblance of exclusivity, or if it could get a bigger cut by releasing more of such titles on PC and/or shortening their PlayStation exclusivity window.
One aspect that’s a little more dreadful, though, is the pricing. The Xbox Ally and Ally X currently cost S$799 and S$1,299, respectively. If we should expect the next-gen Xbox is as “premium” as the Ally, we could be looking at a four digit price tag. While this isn’t necessarily new (the PS5 Pro currently costs S$1,069), it’s a step up from the S$700 launch prices of ninth generation consoles.
One silver lining, however, is that while you currently need a Game Pass subscription for online play on most Xbox games, the Windows Central report states that Microsoft may be dropping that paywall in its next-generation console.
For now, this is all speculation. One thing we know for certain is that the next Xbox will have AMD hardware in it, according to a joint announcement from Bond and AMD CEO Lisa Su. But it’s interesting to think that this might be a potential end to the age-old ‘PC vs. Console’ debate, and given that Microsoft could still work with a third-party manufacturer like it did with the ROG Xbox Ally, we’ll have to see if the company will make any tweaks Windows to bring smoothness on par with the console user experience.
Source: Windows Central